Iphigeneia at Aulis. Are we not all wasting our time here, by the banks ofEpirus? 272. Are you still sleeping my baby? Ah, heres your father, go to him, darling! They want me to. I know what you want to do to me Go on! What an awful burden Helen andTroyhave become for us! line to jump to another position: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License, Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text, http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1:1374-1401, http://data.perseus.org/texts/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1, http://data.perseus.org/texts/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018, http://data.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1. That I could never do! Agamemnon Holy Fate and Fortune! It is for Hellas that I am forced to sacrifice you. Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. Old Man Old age! Iphigenia in Aulis (a.k.a. Does no one speak against it? Agamemnon You, too, Iphigeneia, you also have a journey to make. The Greek warriors are waiting for you, anxious to start off for Troy! But in an emotional solo scene, she has a vision of the sacrifice. The Greeks were then enabled to set sail. I saw you trying to write it by the light of that lamp there. Not from any birds, not from the sea and not from any of the winds that rule over the waters between us andEpirus Total silence! The trilogy won first prize at the City Dionysia at Athens. Menelaos And you should not be bringing so much trouble to the Greeks! No man is blessed or happy for ever. She gives up the most precious gift she can: her life. Iphigenia was sacrificed in the Boeotian harbor of Aulis, opposite the island of Euboea, or as others say, was saved at the last moment by Artemis, who substituted for her a deer or a bull at the altar, and transported her to Tauris where she later, having met his brother Orestes 2, was brought by him back home. Chorus That is, if what they say about you being Ledas daughter is true. Come! I wont let anyone take your life even though it would be against your wish. That! Not unless I obey the priests demand, not unless I sacrifice you. Old Man I I dont approve of words like these coming out of the mouths of leaders. Euripides (484 BCE - 406 BCE) Translated by Theodore Alois Buckley (1825 - 1856). It is what a mother must do! Iphigenia in Aulis Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary No, youve brought me to life so that the whole of Greece may rejoice! Klytaimestra Will anyone come to take her away? Shelley Dean Milman. 640. How dare you! Then, the moment you became one, all this nice behaviour changed and you had turned your back on all your friends. Iphigeneia Artemis altar will be my grave. Youve raised me to be the shining light of Greece. Helen, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, had eloped to Troy with Paris, son of King Priam. Let me enjoy the sweet light of day and do not force me to enter the world beneath the earth. How I wish he never lived at that meadow where all the flowers bloomed: roses and hyacinths, all those flowers that the goddesses plucked. Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! Enter Achilles with fellow soldiers in full armour. Called me slave to a wedding bed! On the stern of his ships was an emblem portraying the riverAlpheus, his neighbour, who, on that emblem was given four feet and made to look like a bull. Klytaimestra A sweet word of love from you? The girl is with the gods! The gods do strange things, madam, things that baffle us mortals but they save those they love. Klytaimestra Yes. The Old Man is angry and tries to take the letter back from him. 1031. Old Man Yes, my lady. 610. The Greek army is getting ready to sail. The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, Im giving them to you! Can you see what the goddess has placed upon her altar? Euripides. First Chorus We have come to watch the army of the divine Greeks and their thousand ships. Ultimately, Euripides uses Iphigenia at Aulis to argue that the ancient Greek impulse to revere one's lineage or parentage while effectively ignoring the duty one has to one's living, breathing family is one which creates sadness, discord, anger, and even the impulse for revenge. Happy noises of incoming royal procession, including horses and chariot are heard within, Stage Left. Look at him for the last time. Agamemnon By the gods! Dont look at me for that, I cant give you one! Agamemnon I know well about pity I know well who deserves it and who does not and I -I love my children! Agamemnon Curse Calchas and his whole horde of glory-loving prophets! Od. You were still the man she loved. I have tried desperately to send Klytaimestra away from here but Ive failed. Second Chorus They are the offspring of a great and most fortunate family. See that there are no wheel marks on the road. An unrelenting curse. He said that it must be done if the expedition is ever to make it to, Klytaimestra Expedition? Ill have none of it! This work may be freely reproduced, stored and transmitted, electronically or otherwise, for any non-commercial purpose. He was her lord. How. This surely is nothing more than drivel spat out of the mouth of a mad old man! First Chorus This is the naval force I saw with my own eyes and about which I had heard earlier. Chorus Where has the strength of your face gone? No one in the world can deny that the act of saving a child is a blessed act. You, too, my lord are a mortal and, whether you like it or not, this is how the gods want it: mortals must taste the good along with the bad. What a price to pay for the sake of saving a slut! IPHIGENIA AT AULIS - EURIPIDES | PLAY SUMMARY & ANALYSIS | Sacrifice Which of your children will dare even look at you? Has my husband gone insane? Here comes Agamemnon! Agamemnon Lines 1-257 Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes The whole army and both the sons of Atreas stood there in silence, their eyes downcast. You have been wronged, madam. Dent & Sons, 1920. You, Paris, you son of Priam! You began and ended your speech with fine sentiments. Now, come, take me away to the altar! How can you prove that you and I have the same father? He managed to film a Greek tragedy to screen without losing its effectiveness and importance. Why has their marriage brought about my death, father? Agamemnon Zeus. Iphigeneia hands baby Orestes to her mother, Iphigeneia If only I could sing like Orpheus, father! Agamemnon Calchas will reveal his oracles to the men. 43. My hair! People will talk about how Ive saved Greece. Ask me, what is it? Now call her out here so she can follow me to the altar. Some madness has overtaken their hearts and they want to sail immediately over to Troy to the land of those barbarians and to put an end to this raping and stealing of our women, to tearing them away from their marital beds. Iphigeneia The same song, mother, the same words tell both our fates, dear mother and I Ive lost the days sweet light, the sweet light of the suns rays! Tell me Agamemnon! The thought that you would no longer lead our thousand ships against Priam, that you would no longer conquer his city with our soldiers all that filled you with utter distress and dismay! NI 1886. You write down some words, then you scratch them out and write other words in their place. Klytaimestra What was the second message? These ships, too, were adorned with emblems at their high sterns, this time of Cadmus, holding a golden serpent in his hands. A sensible man usually speaks to others with respect. They picked up their spears, strapped on their armour, and rushed over here, inAulis, with ships, troops, and a huge number of horses and chariots. Old Man Your very reprimand shows the extent of my virtue! Agamemnon And still something is holding back the expedition. IPHIGENIA IN AULIS - Monologue (Iphigenia) A monologue from the play by Euripides NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Plays of Euripides in English, vol. Agamemnon Yes but first I must make a sacrifice here, inAulis. The news spread quickly and so the whole army already knows that your daughter has arrived. Dont waste time kissing my hand. If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. Iphigenia at Aulis seems to have been constructed in a society in which it was ideal to put nation and family ahead of oneself. Agamemnon Menelaos! Hear my first attack on you: Youve married me by brutal force and by murder. Please refer to our Privacy Policy. Iphigenia's father is Agamemnon and his brother is King Menelaus. It would be shameful if Agamemnon saw me touching whats not rightfully mine! They fuse into one. Iphigeneia hugs her mother. You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! Klytaimestra You? Klytaimestra Yes, quite right, too! Iphigeneia Looking into the distance behind curtains. And if I tried to run off toArgos, the whole lot of them will come over and destroy the place, raze the whole city to the ground, Cyclopean walls and all! Here she is but Ill do the talking for both of us. Agamemnon saw his child on her way to her slaughter and immediately groaned with horrible pain. Conditions and Exceptions apply. Agamemnon And dont waste any time hanging about some watering hole in the woods and dont fall victim to the magic of sleep! I do but you dont! Soldiers, go and tear down Troy! May it be with you always, for helping the unfortunate! Agamemnon Achilles is acting in name only and not in deed. She will be begging me, my sweet young girl! You win, I cry. Iphigeneia Youve been so long here in the harbours ofAulis! Do you not want to fight for her? I hate such relationships; they bring bitter pain to all. Good bye. Iphigenia in Aulis demonstrates how conflict and choices based around pride can lead to tragic results. I told her to bring our daughter here so that she may marry Achilles. Or else let Menelaos kill Hermione, his own daughter. Iphigeneia Im not afraid to say this in front of everyone: Helen, Tyndareus daughter, has caused wars and the endless spilling of blood because of her body. Some members of the chorus rush about her, placing garlands on her hair and sprinkling water upon her head. Come, disband the army and leaveAulismy brother and stop your tears and mine! The sparkling water of your ancestral streams is waiting for you! Iphigenia O mother that bore me! Come, take me to the altar of the goddess. No, mother! I shall think of nothing else but you from now on. Tell me! Achilles I did but theyre shouting at me, too! You used to ask me, I wonder, my darling, will I get to see you married one day, married and settled happily in your husbands home, your life ever blossoming, making me proud of you? And Id touch your chin, my father, hang from your beard, father, like Im doing now and say, and what about you, father, will I get to see you, father, an old man, visiting me at my house, ready for me to repay you for your hard work in raising me?, No, you dont remember these words, father. Chorus He said your daughter is still alive, my lady! Give thanks to the goddess Hope! Where shall I begin? Out of my senses! Old Man So, my lord, why on earth are you wandering about out here, then? Come, friends, sing with me in praise of the goddess whose temple faces Chalkis, the place where the spears of war are waiting for me in anger! If the sons of Atreas practice honesty then I shall obey them but if they dont, rest assured, madam that Ill defy them. You, too, Menelaos, get everything ready for this joyous occasion and lets hear the flutes sing and the dancers pound the earth with their feet. Your wit is truly far greater than mine. I must go. Where will I find you? Dance, girls, dance around Artemis altar! I beg you, father! IPHIGENIA: Had I, my father, the persuasive voice Of Orpheus, and his skill to charm the rocks To follow me, and soothe whome'er I please With winning words, I would make trial of it; But I have nothing to present thee now Save tears, my only eloquence; and those I can present thee. For a moment a great deal of shouting by men is heard behind the curtains. Iphigenia in Aulis: Clytemnestra's Monologue Iphigeneia at Aulis (Greek Tragedy in New Translations) In revenge for Agamemmnon killing one of her sacred stags, the goddess Artemis demands the sacrifice of his eldest daughter . 1410. (A father's conduct here I blame), A joyless victim bred; When o'er the strand of Aulis, in the pride. And you can see how I, a woman, have come here to the camp of soldiers, tough men, brave and ready for war and violence. Iphigeneia Shall we set up choruses around it, daddy? First Chorus Come, children of Chalkis, let us go and give the Argive Queen our gentle and firm hand to help her step down safely from her carriage and let us look welcoming towards Agamemnons glorious daughter lest she be afraid of having arrived here at this place and at this time; and let us also make sure that the Argive women feel no distress or concern for being strangers in a strange place. Let them all see which one should be sacrificed. The second, Iphigenia at Aulis, so vastly different as to highlight the playwright's Protean invention, centres on the ultimate dysfunctional family, that of Agamemnon, as natural emotion is. 378. First Chorus We have left behind our land, Chalkis, a land washed by the salty waters of glorious Arethousa and weve travelled through the narrow straights of Euripus to come here, toAulis, to this sandy peninsula. Agamemnon Yes. Wont you cry with me, Orestes? Iphigenia among the Taurians, Bacchae, Iphigenia at Aulis, Rhesus With blessings or with force? I clasp your knees without shame! Agamemnon And you shouldnt be hanging around here, among all the soldiers! Ah! A safe return? Klytaimestra Hes an evil man, my husband. Whether I do it or I dont, the consequences for me will be the same. Id only be speaking lies and Id be adding disgrace to my miserable Fate! A real miracle! But wholl carry the bridal torch? As is common, there is a dowry, here brought by her mother from the household of Agamemnon (lines 612-13). IPHIGENIA IN AULIS Essay Summary A monologue from the play by Euripides NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Plays of Euripides in English, vol. It was written sometime between 408 and 406 BCE (the date of his death) and was first produced in the year following his death, where it won first place at the Athenian City Dionysia contest. Menelaos If you dont let go of it I shall crack your skull open with this staff! Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. 'The Sacrifice of Iphigenia' and Agamemnon's Dilemma: In - Medium Now, Ill tell you everything Ive written in this folded scroll because you are a true and loyal servant to my house and to my wife. Menelaos See this? Klytaimestra What, Achilles? My words were brief, blunt and clear. Death is a dreadful thing! Youre the one, after all, who, even though the gods have helped you rid yourself of a bad wife, there you are, still intent on getting her back! She goes over to her mother and takes baby Orestes in her arms. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me This sword will have blood on it even before I leave for Troy! Obedient child. 402. No mother, no father. But I see a letter in your hand. He has used my name without my permission! That is, if my brain doesnt falter and make my tongue trip over its words! My life, mummy, my life has been saved! Iphigenia in Aulis has been added to your Cart . But I will talk: the strong ought to help the weak where they can, even if they have little to do with their plight. Hes coming this way now. What will you ask the gods to grant you as your knife cuts through your daughters throat? Agamemnon Sure, that I can certainly do secretly but theres something else, brother; something I cannot hide. Klytaimestra But who on earth would dare touch you, Achilles? The King feared the prophets words that the boy would grow up to destroy him him and his city and so he tore the baby away from its mothers arms and cast him on the mountainside, hoping that he would die. Them and their pine sterns and their shiny bronze prows! Klytaimestra Well? Things that should best be kept away from a brides ear. What a disgraceful behaviour! 411, Menelaos Enjoy the glory of your sceptre then! Dont force me to become evil! Tell me the reason you will give no let me speak on your behalf, because I know what you will say. The Prologue of Iphigenia at Aulis - JSTOR He embraces and then steps back to look at her sadly. Chorus Go, young girl! You know the dread that Agamemnon has brought upon us. He knows nothing of my scheme, nothing of the marriage and nothing of my supposed wish to give my daughter to him, to have him take her into his arms and into his marital bed. What should I call them? Klytaimestra But youre saying that I can not mourn your death, my darling! No, thats not a good idea, Klytaimestra Ill hold you tight, by your clothes, Iphigeneia No, mother. Think about your daughter for once, Agamemnon and make a fair proposal to your army: Ask them all if they really want to go to Troy and if they do, well then, let them draw lots that will include their own children also! What a weak little helper you are, my tiny brother! The Watchman, whose . One of the myths in the Cypria inspired the tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis, written by Euripides (ca. Its blood spattered about, saturating the goddess altar! Listen! He, madam, hes the cause of all your torment, madam. 1100. And I beg you also for my mothers sake, the woman who laboured to bring me to life, the woman who is being tortured even now. It will be a long time before I return from Troy, a long time before I greet you again. You have declared the girl to be the bride of a goddess son, yet you bring her here to be a sacrificial offering for the benefit of the Greeks! They say that Zeus had transformed himself into a bird and then slept with your mother. If the gods are just, then they should reward just men like you. Messenger Agamemnon, leader of all the Greeks! He came all the way fromTroy, dressed in all his colourful garb, and, typical of the barbarians love for splendour, his whole body was sparkling with gold jewels! Thats what theyll be saying; and all this because of you, Helen! Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances : Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide: Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data: ComiXology 1010. We use cookies for social media and essential site functions. I have left Pharsalia and Peleas, my father, to come here. Agamemnon Sisyphus son, Odysseus, knows our whole story. Then, you arrived here, inAulis, with the whole of the Greek army and immediately you lost every virtue you had. Well, old man, Menelaos was outraged by this! Iphigenia at Aulis Cast of Characters: Calchas, an augur Agamemnon, King of Argos Attendant, an old man Menelaus, brother to Agamemnon Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon Iphigenia, daughter to Clytemnestra and Agamemnon Achilles, a warrior Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt Messenger Chorus of Women of Chalcis Attendants to Clytemnestra Ive also missed you! Tell me what it is you want, now. 1279. Cover the baby with one of your cloaks. Because youre trying to save my girl? Well, you pretended you didnt want the job but you did. Free to mock her! Too glad to commit the girl to the goddess. 1000. Dent & Sons, 1920. Old Man No, madam! My lord! 1150. Amazon.com: Iphigenia in Aulis: 9798405231303: Euripides, Buckley Achilles Weighty words, old man! 710. Rather, its the fact that you need a good woman one to fill your arms with and, in order to get her, youve lost your wits and your manners! Klytaimestra A cold hope, that one, Achilles. Out here, in front of the tent! Well, then, may you and your friends also enjoy a marriage such as mine! She will say to me! Im lost! 810, Achilles, they say. From now on I will live there in that other world. 1560. But, my brother, we can do nothing now but go on with the bloody murder of my darling daughter. It is a horrible thing for one to lose a child! Agamemnon It will take place after I make the sacrifice. Iphigenia in Aulis - Wikipedia 9.1", "denarius"). Tell me, Agamemnon: Tell me what will you say to someone who asks you why youve killed your daughter? What about your own soldiers, Achilles, what about your Myrmidons?
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